


A Curtain's Calling

by Skiewrites



Series: A Well-Known Nobody [4]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Galaxy Garrison, Galaxy Garrison Students - Freeform, Gen, Lance (Voltron)-centric, Post-Kerberos Mission, Pre-Canon, Reaction
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-28
Updated: 2019-04-03
Packaged: 2019-04-14 02:40:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,708
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14126316
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Skiewrites/pseuds/Skiewrites
Summary: Every time he's asked, he smiles, winks, puts a finger to his lips and makes a promise that he'll keep, much to the surprise to the other students and staff.OR: How Lance earned the name ‘Tailor’ from his peers at the Galaxy Garrison.





	1. Part One

Act One:

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As much as he wants other people to believe, Lance McClain earned the name ‘Tailor’ for a much different reason than from his arguable ability to pilot a ship.

McClain was a lot different, back before he got the name. He didn’t flirt a lot with girls with finger guns and exaggerated winks, bad puns and corny pickup lines. He didn’t sit down at someone’s table at random and start talking to them as if he had known them his entire life. People didn’t even know his name back then, let alone approach him freely to give Lance some information about the Garrison’s star couple to find out what their best friend had said about them behind their backs.

Back then, he was the background character that stood at the back of the stage, who didn’t have a name printed in the programme. In it, he had a single line, a plot device that was used only once, and maybe had a huge potential for something, though it was never developed further, nor was it meant to.

No, he was known for other things instead, as a loner who only hung out with his roommate and no one else. As someone who spent all their time in the library, trying to keep on top of the work that might have been above his level. As a stubborn idiot who made it his goal to beat Keith Kogane in anything and everything.

It could even be said that the foundations for Lance McClain’s nickname and even his reputation at the Galaxy Garrison all stemmed from Keith Kogane.

Of course, it started off simple, wanting to get a higher score in the simulator, wanting to beat him in a test in class, small things that went unnoticed for most people except for maybe McClain’s roommate, but could be reasoned with. People needed goals and motivation. McClain wanted to pass, and beating one of the most gifted students the Garrison had ever seen was good motivation. Beat him, and you’re practically guaranteed a pass.

However, try as he might, Kogane didn’t notice at all, as the main character was much more concerned about other things rather than a minor character looking for attention.

(It was all rather sad, in hindsight.)

He tried to make it a bit more obvious, speaking loudly for anyone to hear about how he was going to beat his ‘rival’ in the next lesson, how he was going to score higher in the next simulation, how he was going to beat him to the cafeteria at lunch, how he was going to move up to fighter class so he could beat him some more. He didn’t go back on his word, either, as he studied more and more to make sure that he was getting the scores, he hadn’t beat Kogane, not yet, but he’ll get there, and he raced down the corridor to get the food first, not even noticing when Keith went the other way, back to the dorms instead of getting food.

Nobody listened to a word he had to say, despite the fact that he always had an ear open for everyone else, for their problems and their secrets.

He’s not too surprised. He’s an unknown nobody after all, unheard at the back of the stage when all of the action was happening at the front.

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Then, everything kicks off, with the news of the of the failed Kerberos mission.

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It starts off in silence, a world in mourning of what happened. There’s talk of what happened, but its in whispered breaths and in darkened corners of the stage, as if it had been forbidden to mention it while under the spot light.

Then comes the assembly, in which that the families of the dead are invited to, consisting of only a mother and her daughter, dressed similar in their black dresses and tears. That too is mainly held in silence, where the respect of the dead is held and worshipped.

But, as the mother and her daughter go to leave, they take their anguish, as well as the silence that held the Galaxy Garrison for so long, with them. It was almost like a spell over the whole building had been broken, the container of seasoning knocked and now the salt was spilt over the table.

The curtains had fallen, and now it was time to set the new scene for the next act.

The rumours were sprinkled into people’s ears; the fact that it was announced as an error on the crew and not the equipment. It crystallised on their tongues; the fact that the team crashed onto the surface of the moon. It poured out of their mouths; the fact that the blame was firmly on Shirogane Takashi’s shoulders.

Well, that was the rumours said anyway. It’s not like people put too much faith in them anyway, as rumours also said that a young girl from Italy was the reason why the systems crashed for three days, so people tend to forget what last’s week rumour in favour for the new week.

Well, most people did anyway.

(Others (just one) remembered what was said, and took a note for later.)

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The next, most notable event, would be a first-year flight class.

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It was the most notable, because, for once, Keith Kogane did not top the class like he usually did. Instead, the leader-board was topped with an arrogant kid, with a jock like personality, a failing hetero relationship and the money to pay the high bills that the Garrison payed out to educate the leaders and explorers of tomorrow.

McClain sighed from his space near the back of the class, trying to stand on his toes so he could listen to Iverson spit at his ‘rival’ only to hear the latest gossip from the girl next to him, angrily ranting to her friend about boyfriends and birthdays and failed expectations, and while he’d normally soak this all up like a sponge, it’s not what he wanted.

He sighed again, before trying to push his way to the front, weaving in and out of the crowd that the class had gathered in, quietly muttering to one another as they, too, tried to listen in on the grilling going on right in front of them, but seem not interested in it at the same time.

Typical.

By the time that McClain managed to get to the front of the group, Iverson has decided that he was done with grilling Kogane, and pick out his next victim instead, a petite girl that went by the name of Kaitlynn Johnson who was on the verge of tears at the thought of trying to fly a simulator under the glaring eyes of the Commander.

It was weird to think that he admired the commander. Sure, he was downright horrible to his students and sometimes to even the other members of staff, as he had often heard the complaints from his teachers, but that wasn’t to say that he didn’t do his job. They say that he produces the best of the best, the crème of the coffee, finest that you could ever get.

And then there’s Shirogane, the dirty smudge on the clean ledger.

An insult in Iverson’s eyes.

(Well, eye now.)

(That, however, is too much of a different story to be added into this one, so many next time.)

Sighing, McClain stayed standing near the front of the class waiting for his turn in the simulator, which came and went without much fanfare (he crashed again, but he’s getting better, he swears he’s right behind Kogane now) and not before long, the class was dismissed.

Everything’s fine until McClain goes to leave, one of the last to do so as someone had moved his bag for some reason, and he hears the beginning of an argument.

“If you don’t change your behaviour now, not even the pity of the other staff members can save your position here at the Galaxy Garrison.” Turning around, McClain stood in silence, and seemingly out of sight, as he glanced between the Commander and Kogane.

“Yeah, well, I wouldn’t have to behave like this if someone didn’t keep secrets-”

“Do not question your orders Kogane!” McClain blinked in surprise before speed walking out of the room.

He didn’t need to see the outcome of that disagreement.

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Nobody saw Keith Kogane after that lesson.

Nobody knew why Iverson didn’t appear after that lesson for a week and a missing eye, and everyone was too scared to ask.

Nobody could do anything against the confusion that contaminated the Garrison, seeming lost after losing a second poster boy.

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Well, Lance McClain did make for a very good nobody, after all.

 


	2. Act Two

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> not beta read or really proof read at all. we die like men

Act Two:

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For some reason, the sudden disappearance of Keith Kogane was shockingly noticeable.

He never had any friends, didn’t talk to anyone outside of class, or much at all inside of class. Only spoke when spoken to and then drifted off, back into his own little world. The only person who he seemed to willingly talk to be the pilot of the Kerberos mission, but after that was labelled a failure, he seemed to be more withdrawn than before.

He also seemed angrier. More anxious. More trigger happy.

(Everyone made sure to stay clear from him after he broke a guy’s arm because he made Keith jump.)

(The rumour, or at least, the most popular rumour, was that the only reason he wasn’t kicked out then was the fact that he was the only current cadet that stood a chance of beating Captain Shirogane’s records, which was pretty important for the Galaxy Garrison, especially since their best pilot had just died.)

It was somehow quieter without the quiet but feisty kid, but that might also be because of the fact that McClain had nothing to shout about now, he had nowhere to rush to, no one to compete with.

He finally managed to go up a class, but it did not taste as sweet as he thought it would be.

Everyone was talking about Kogane still, going on about how he disappeared, from if he was kidnapped by the government to just disintegrating into dust.

These were supposed to become the protectors of Earth, and here they were, wondering if a student has turned into dust like some old comic book film. The human race was going to die soon, no doubt about that.

But the Earth kept spinning, and, sure enough, the rumours moved onto Commander Iverson coming back with a missing eye, and all the outrageous stories that came with it.

But, when Lance was asked about it, at first, he wasn’t sure what to say, surprised to be approached by so many people about the event.

He told them that he would get back to them.

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“Where did Kogane go?” Iverson for sure, his voice was as gruff sounding as ever, and the way that he barked out the order was unmistakeable.

“I don’t know.” That was Mr Walsh’s voice, McClain’s old piloting teacher before he moved to Iverson’s class. He remembered him taking a week off during the week of the Kerberos mission failure announcement, and he vagally remembered him beiging in some sort of relationship with Captain Shirogane just before the mission was announced. While the Garrison tried to say that they were accepting, the truth was that they were tolerant.

 “What do you mean you don’t know! This kid is under your custody! You should know where he is.”

“Keith and I never had the best relationship in the first place, and it doesn’t help that you were forcing him to do something hat he verbally disagreed with. He wouldn’t talk to me if he knew that I would go back to you about it,” Mr Walsh explained calmly, and Lance nodded in his hiding spot in agreement. While Keith wasn’t in the engineer course, he wasn’t dumb, he knew how the system worked, and he played it very well when he was in the mood. The problem, more often than not with Kogane, is that he didn’t want to play by the system. He wanted to do things his own way, and this was the outcome.

The Garrison was expecting another Shirogane out of Keith, someone who knew their way around the pilot seat and knew how to follow orders to the letter.

They got Kogane instead and didn’t like it because he could speak.

Lance thought that this would be the end of Keith’s mention inside a Garrison building. That wasn’t the case.

It goes silent, before footsteps echoed down another hall, signalling Lance that he was able to leave

“McClain, what are you doing back there?” Lance turned around and smiled at Professor Welsh.

“You’re a pretty good liar sir,” Lance replied, making sure to make his grin to be as shit-eating and innocent as possible. His old teacher only sighed.

“You’re not talking about this one?” He tried to make it sound like a command, back Lance could hear the change in pitch in his voice.

“You know me!” Lance almost shouted before running down the corridor and away from the professor and his weird question-statement hybrids.

He’s got more important things to do.

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He wasn’t sure why Iverson kept bringing Kogane up in class.

“I bet that he tried to cheat his way back to the top, because he knew for a fact that he could never overtake me. Of course, Commander Iverson found out and, kicked him because of it.” McClain only sighed because of it, closing his eyes over the stupidity coming out of his mouth and did something he never thought he had the guts to do.

He argued back.

“No, that’s not why he was kicked out.” The kid turned to stare at him, glaring hard enough to leave the impression of death.

“Oh, really? If you’re so smart, then tell us why he was kicked out!”

“Maybe he was sick of seeing things that only he would notice, like your failing relationship perhaps?” McClain continued on with a smile, subtly moving the conversation onto the kid’s failing relationship, telling him ways to fix it by describing things that she liked, never telling how he knew what his girlfriend liked, nor the truth behind Keith Kogane’s disappearance.

The fact that he knows so much about the want and will of others spread pretty fast, especially the fact that he was practically offering the information out for free as well, with only a small price of answering his own questions, and quickly the worst kept secret of the Galaxy Garrison was the fact that Lance McClain was the only person who could, not only find the deepest and darkest secrets, but he was able to keep them all unless needed for something bigger.

How does he do it?

A smile, a wink, puts a finger to his lips with a promise that he’ll keep.

Soon, there were many rumours, speculations and full on conspiracy theories on how Keith Kogane, one of the best pilots that the Galaxy Garrison ever had walk through their doors, left. Some say he was kicked out because of his actions (not that the student body knew what they were), some say that he left on his own accord due to a ‘disagreement’ with the management (most fingers pointed to Iverson but they couldn’t be sure), and some even say that he walked into the desert, never to be seen by another human again (then came in the part about aliens that no one really believed but said anyway, for their own amusement).

Lance McClain was the only student who knew what happened, the full story as to why Keith Kogane disappeared from the Galaxy Garrison, and, when they think back to it, nether the staff nor the students were that much surprised.

He may have tried to convince people that he was called the ‘Tailor’ because of his ‘ability to thread the needle’, but the true reason was his ability to make a dress through patchwork, to find the story through rumours and lies.

(So, the students start off with notes of silence, but it becomes so much more.)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> if you want more updates please comment/give kudos

**Author's Note:**

> So this has been a work in progress since half way through february with the intention of finishing it in time for the new season. Welp, guess that didn't happen, but now you're gonna get a two-shot of how Lance got his nickname at the Garrison. 
> 
> I'm taking requests for this series either in the comments, or on my tumblr!
> 
> My tumblr is [here.](https://skiewrites.tumblr.com/)  
> My amazing beta-reader Alex's tumblr is [here.](https://thegayestwhale.tumblr.com/)


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